Columban Life

In order to become more aware of what the life of a Columban missionary priest is like, here are some glimpses of the lives of six Columban Missionaries.

Can you see yourself living such a life?

Fr Tomas King - Pakistan

Fr Tomas King, a native of Ireland, rises very early to avoid the summer heat, which can be up to 48 degrees during the day in summer.  After morning prayers and some rotis for breakfast, he is soon on his way, out into the desert in his Four-Wheel Drive jeep on a visit to one of the 25 villages that make up his parish. His parish is located in the remote and arid Thar Parkar Desert in south east Pakistan. His parishioners are comprised mainly of an impoverished and oppressed tribal group called the Parkari Kholis.

Fr Barry Cairns - Japan

When needing to visit a sick parishioner, Fr Barry Cairns from New Zealand drives his 600cc mini car around his parish in Hodogaya, one of the wards of Yokohama City, in Japan. He has been parish priest there since 2002. As well as the traditional pastoral work and liturgical celebrations of a busy parish priest, Fr Barry likes to grow crops of potatoes, tomatoes, onions and lettuce in his garden plot alongside his house. Most of all, however, he likes to spend time with his parishioners in the many social activities organized by the parish.

Fr William Lee - Fiji and Chile

Fr William Lee from Fiji is parish priest of the parish of San Matias, a parish of over 90,000 people, comprising 9 Churches on the southern outskirts of Santiago, Chile. This is a poor area with many social problems including poverty, substance abuse, criminal gangs, mental illnesses, high unemployment rates and violence. When Fr William was growing up in Fiji, he always admired the work of Columban priests in his home parish. They had come from overseas to serve the people of Fiji. Now, Fr William offers his life as a missionary priest in another country, in the parish of San Matias, Chile.

Fr Kevin Mullins - Mexico

As parish priest of Corpus Christi parish in the City of Juarez, Mexico, Fr Kevin Mullins from Australia spends his days visiting his parishioners and organizing the normal activities of his busy and vibrant parish. At the same time, as the City of Juarez is located on the border between Mexico and the United States, it has the fame of being one of the most violent cities in the world, due to the illegal drug trade. Nevertheless, Fr Kevin continues to work hard to support his parishioners, many of whom are living in dire poverty amidst so much suffering and needless killing. He describes the parish of Corpus Christi as a beacon of hope in a world of so much despair and hopelessness.

Fr Brian Gore - Philippines

In the 1970’s and early 1980’s, Fr Brian Gore from Australia worked hard on the island of Negros in the Philippines to support poor subsistence farmers retain their land against forceful encroachments by large scale sugar interests. On account this, he and his companions were arrested on false charges in 1984 and spent 14 months in jail. Today Fr Brian continues this ministry of support for subsistence farmers through the Negros Nine Human Development Foundation. This foundation is primarily involved in helping subsistence farmers remain on their land through sustainable agricultural methods, the formation of a Farmers’ Cooperative to sell their produce, the development of a primary school for the education of the local children and in developing programmes to stop the trafficking of local people for their labour.